The present invention relates to poultry processing, and more particularly, to the removal of feces from poultry.
During the processing of birds, such as chickens, it is necessary to remove the bird""s digestive tract organs from the bird""s abdominal cavity. This process is called evisceration. During this process, the bird""s digestive tract organs are sometimes inadvertently cut or otherwise opened so that feces is released into the bird""s abdominal cavity. As a result, the contaminated birds must either be thoroughly cleaned or discarded. To avoid such contamination, it is desirable to remove the bird""s feces before the bird is eviscerated.
Preferably, the bird""s feces are removed in such a way that the removed feces has minimal contact with the external surface of the bird. This is because, in the event that the bird""s feces does come into contact with the bird""s external surface, the bird must be thoroughly cleansed, or, in certain circumstances, discarded from human consumption.
The inventors are aware of several systems designed to remove the feces and/or entrails from poultry, including U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,539 issued to Simmons, U.S. Pat. No. 4,876,767 issued to Harben, III, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,421 issued to Van Der Eerden. The Simmons reference is discussed in detail below.
Simmons teaches an apparatus that carries featherless, headless birds upside-down using a conventional conveying system. As the birds are moved along the conveying system, each bird, in turn, is positioned between two rotating, horizontally-disposed wheels. The wheels are positioned so that, when a bird passes between the wheels, a U-shaped surface on the periphery of one of the wheels exerts pressure on the back of the bird, while a V-shaped surface on the periphery of the other wheel exerts pressure on the bird""s breast. The resulting combined pressure squeezes feces out of the bird""s anus while the bird is suspended by its feet.
One problem associated with the Simmons device is that, after feces is squeezed out of the bird""s anus, the feces tends to spill onto the bird""s body. Furthermore, because Simmons teaches removing feces from the bird after the bird has been defeathered, any feces that spills onto the bird comes into direct contact with the bird""s skin. Thus, a significant percentage of birds that are processed using the Simmons device become soiled during processing. As a result, the soiled birds must be thoroughly cleansed or discarded.
Furthermore, it would appear that, even after the Simmons device squeezes the bird, feces may still remain in the bird. Therefore, birds that have been processed using the Simmons device may still run the risk of fecal contamination while being processed.
Thus, there is an unsatisfied need for an apparatus and method for removing feces from poultry while avoiding contact between the feces and the bird""s skin. There is a further need in the art for an apparatus and method for removing the substantial majority of feces from a bird""s intestines before the bird is processed further.
The present invention relates to apparatuses and methods that may be used to remove feces from a bird, such as a chicken, and that are operable to remove feces from the bird while avoiding contact between the feces and the bird""s skin. Furthermore, the apparatuses and methods are capable of removing the substantial majority of feces from a bird""s intestines before the bird is processed further.
More particularly, the apparatus includes a clasping device configured for receiving a bird and for providing lateral support to the bird, the clasping device being configured for rotation between a first position, in which the bird is in a substantially vertical position, and a second position, in which the bird is in a substantially horizontal position. The apparatus further includes a compression assembly that is configured for exerting a compressive force on an exterior surface of the bird while the clasping device is providing lateral support to the bird and while the clasping device is in the second position. The apparatus preferably includes a back support portion that is adjacent, and preferably between, the two opposing side members.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the clasping device is configured for receiving a bird between the two opposing side members and for exerting pressure on opposite sides of the bird. In this embodiment of the invention, the compression assembly is configured for exerting a compressive force on a top surface of the bird""s central body portion while the opposing side members are exerting pressure on opposite sides of the bird, and while the clasping device is in the second position. The compressive force is preferably sufficient to force feces out of the body of the bird.
In a first embodiment of the invention, the clasping device is configured for movement relative to the compression assembly. In this embodiment of the invention, the compression assembly preferably includes a rotable wheel.
In a second preferred embodiment of the invention, the poultry feces removal apparatus also includes an apparatus for moving the bird along a predetermined path. In this preferred embodiment, the poultry feces removal apparatus includes a plurality of compression assemblies, and at least two of these compression assemblies are included within a compression module that is positioned along the predetermined path. Furthermore, the clasping device is preferably configured for lateral movement relative to the compression module along the predetermined path. In this preferred embodiment of the invention, each of the compression assemblies includes a compression member for exerting force on an exterior surface of a bird""s central body portion. This compression member is preferably configured to be moved along an axis that is substantially perpendicular to a top surface of the bird""s central body portion. In addition, at least one compression assembly is configured to move along with (i.e. in tandem with) the clasping device while the compression assembly exerts a compressive force on the exterior surface of the bird.
The compression assembly of the second preferred embodiment of the invention preferably includes a compression member that is configured to conform to an exterior surface of a bird""s chest. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the compression member is substantially in the shape of a portion of the exterior surface of a bird""s chest. Such a compression member is preferably concave and shaped to receive a portion of a bird""s chest within the concave interior of the compression member.
The compression assembly also preferably includes an alignment device that is configured to allow the compression member to shift its orientation (i.e. shift the direction in which the open concave portion of the compression member is facing) to a limited extent so that, as the compression member exerts a compressive force on the exterior of the bird, the lower surface of the compression member generally aligns with the exterior surface of the bird. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, this alignment device comprises: (1) a support plate defining an alignment opening; (2) an alignment pin adjacent to, and extending away from, the upper surface of the compression member, and extending through the alignment opening; and (3) a flexible stabilizing member that is disposed between a portion of the alignment pin and an interior portion of the alignment opening, so that as the compression member is moved relative to the exterior surface of the bird, the compression member is maintained in general alignment with the exterior surface of the bird, but is free to shift slightly to register with the exterior surface of the bird as the compression member exerts a compressive force on the exterior surface of the bird.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the compression assembly is configured to exert a compressive force on the a bird while the bird""s body is maintained in a substantially horizontal position, and while the bird""s feet extend upwardly relative to the bird""s body. This allows the apparatus to squeeze feces from the bird with minimal risk of the feces coming in contact with the exterior surface of the bird.
The invention further includes methods of removing feces from a bird. A first of these methods includes the steps of: (1) providing a bird; (2) using an automated device to squeeze the bird; and (3) while squeezing the bird, exerting a first discrete compressive force on an exterior surface (and preferably a top surface) of the bird that is sufficient to force feces out of the bird""s body. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, this method further includes the steps of: (4) providing a first side member and a second side member, the first and second side members being operable to squeeze the bird; (5) providing a compression member for exerting said first discrete compressive force on said exterior surface of the bird; and (6) moving the bird, the first side member, the second side member, and the compression member at substantially the same speed while squeezing the bird and while exerting the first discrete compressive force on the exterior surface of the bird. The step of using an automated device to squeeze the bird preferably comprises applying a first amount of pressure to opposing first and second sides of the bird, and the step of exerting a first discrete compressive force on an exterior surface of the bird""s body preferably includes exerting the first discrete compressive force on a third side of the bird.
The above inventive method of removing feces from a bird preferably also includes the steps of: (1) applying a second amount of pressure to opposing first and second sides of the bird, the second amount of pressure being greater than the first amount of pressure; and (2) while applying the second amount of pressure, exerting a second discrete compressive force on the third side of the bird, the second discrete compressive force being sufficient to force feces out of the body of the bird; (3) applying a third amount of pressure to opposing first and second sides of the bird, the third amount of pressure being greater than the first amount of pressure and the second amount of pressure; and (4) while applying the third amount of pressure, exerting a third discrete compressive force on the third side of the bird, the third discrete compressive force being sufficient to force feces out of the body of the bird.
The invention further includes a method of removing feces from a bird that includes the steps of: (1) providing a chicken that has not yet been defeathered; (2) providing an automated feces removal device that is operable to remove feces from the bird, before the bird has been defeathered, by simultaneously applying force to three different sides of the bird; and (3) using the automated feces removal device to remove feces from the bird. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the step of using the automated feces removal device to remove feces from the bird occurs when the bird is in a substantially horizontal position. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the step of using the automated feces removal device to remove feces from the bird occurs when the bird is in a substantially vertical position in which the bird""s feet are positioned below the bird""s body.
An advantage of the present invention is that it provides methods and apparatuses for removing feces from a bird with minimal potential for soiling the bird with the feces. This is due to the fact that the apparatus removes feces from the bird before the bird has had its feathers removed and while the bird is in a substantially horizontal position. Positioning the bird horizontally before squeezing feces from the bird""s anus allows the feces to fall away from the bird under the force of gravity. Removing feces from the bird before the bird has been defeathered further reduces the potential for soiling the bird with feces. This is due to the fact that the any feces that splatters onto the bird will come to rest on the bird""s feathers, rather than on the bird""s skin. Thus, the feathers provide a protective barrier between the bird""s skin and potential contaminants.
A further advantage of the present invention is that, by progressively squeezing the sides of the bird and applying multiple discrete forces to a top surface of the bird as pressure is applied to the sides of the bird in varying amounts, the apparatus is able to force almost all of the feces out of the bird. This greatly reduces the risk that the bird will be contaminated with feces as the bird is processed later.